How To Run A Successful Business

With IWD this week, we thought of no better time to celebrate and support our fellow girl bosses out there! 👸🏾 Which is why, for this week's blog post, we thought we'd discuss some of our favourite tips as to how to successfully run a business...

For those of you who don't know, our founder/CEO Selene Dior, built up VITAE APPAREL from scratch. She wanted to create an activewear/swimwear brand that celebrated women's bodies in all forms - and didn't stop until she achieved just that.

And now - she has partnered up with the lovely, super talented CEO of meowbox, Olivia Canlas, to help other women start up their own businesses too. So if you're from Canada or the US and are interested, sign up today for your chance to win some exclusive mentorship and other incredible prizes: 

But otherwise, if you're just looking for a few helpful tips, here are some of our favourite suggestions:

1. Be passionate

Build something that you actually believe in - and ask yourself why? Why do people need this? Why do I need this?

For Selene, she was passionate about empowering women through apparel and creating a community that is supportive of one another world wide. 

What's your passion? 

This is one of the most important thoughts to start a business with, as it will carry you throughout the entire journey. 

When you’re having a bad day, sitting around wondering why your business is failing, there is only one true thing to power you forward -- believing in your purpose.

2. Remember - it's a marathon, not a sprint

Don't expect everything to fall into place over night. Building a successful business TAKES TIME. And if you're not prepared for that, or think for you that it may be different, maybe you need to reconsider your path. 

Build stepping stones. Take small steps. 

We know and understand how frustrating this can be. But it makes it all the more satisfying when you can see just how far you've come!

Be patient, babe - you've got this!!

Don't give up.

3. Listen

When you create a business, it becomes your baby. Which means that sometimes it can be hard to take on any constructive criticism. But whether or not you agree with what people say is irrelevant.

However, it's always important to just listen. 

When you need people to bounce ideas off, advisors are crucial. As an outside perspective, they can catch things you may have missed, hold you accountable for what you're committing too and push you towards greatness. 

Remember - this isn't about you. It's not about your feelings.

It's about the business.

So don't take things personally, babe. Stay out of emotion and don't let your ego take control. 

4. Delegate but avoid micromanaging 

If you've got a team on board to help you out (whether big or small) try to delegate tasks fairly and avoid micromanaging. A manager's job is to delegate and then inspect progress.

Now if you delegate tasks effectively, you'll receive the best outcome. You need to ultimately trust your employees. They're there for a reason - so let them do their thing! 

It's also a good idea to have an actual written training and orientation plan so your employees know exactly what is required of them.

5. Stay healthy

This is probably our most important point. No business. No money. Nothing. Can stand in the way between you and your health. 

Ever.

And without your health (we're talking physical and mental here) you will never really be able to achieve success. Whilst a leader needs to be strong and push through challenges, they also need to be able to pause and take some time to look after their own wellbeing. 

Plus, this business should be your pride and joy. It should be fun! Stressful at times, yes. But ultimately fun!

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And so there we have it! Just some of our favourite tips when it comes to running a successful business. Did any of these surprise you? Challenge you? We'd love to know! xx